Cycle 6 Reflections

5 June to 31 July 2015 (172 B.E.)

Núr* | Raḥmat** | Kalimát ***

Objective: Solidify plans for imminent transition and further cultivate elements of framework for action

Select Lines of Action:

Identify overarching objective for Riḍván 2015 to Riḍván 2016

Pursue employment and educational opportunities

Articulate lines of action that have become core elements of our framework

Germane Guidance:

… the friends are conscious that the work of the Cause proceeds at different speeds in different places and for good reason—it is, after all, an organic phenomenon—and they take joy and encouragement from every instance of progress they see. Indeed, they recognize the benefit that accrues from the contribution of each individual to the progress of the whole, and thus the service rendered by each one, in keeping with the possibilities created by a person’s circumstances, is welcomed by all.
~The Universal House of Justice, Riḍván 2015

Reflections:

At times in this process we have occasionally asked ourselves the tough questions: What is it that we are trying to accomplish? Does this whole approach really work? What is the wisdom in applying guidance and systematizing our efforts? Does the process reflect the organic nature of life or are we being too rigid? Besides, this is just simply a marriage after all; people have been doing this for centuries. Right? Well, not really. We quickly realized how limiting our thoughts were, and we felt it was best to start to thinking about our marriage as a part of a larger universal vision, as a part of a collective movement towards transforming society. Further, we started reaching out more, wondering if by sharing our process with others (e.g., in conversation with friends, posting our cycle reflections to the blog) we could be of service. Much to our surprise, in a manner of a 48 hours, a handful of friends from different parts of the world confirmed our path—encouraging us to remain steady, to share our reflections, and to think critically about how doing so can be of service to the world. We did just that, we started talking about our learning cycles. We started to craft the very reflections that you are reading today. Moreover, in addition to hearing that our process was in some way providing a service, we started to see how certain lines of action that we had pursued over several cycles of activity started to solidify as key elements of our framework—Home Life Chats, Creative Commons, Deepenings, and Reflection and Planning Meetings. We also identified an overarching objective that we felt supported us in further developing the pattern of our lives within the context of the pattern of community life emerging the world-over. It would be this overarching objective that would carry us from one Riḍván to the next, in alignment with the messages from the international governing council of the Bahá’í Faith—the Universal House of Justice. To note: Our institution’s overarching objective for Riḍván 2015-2016 is: “To fortify the crystallization of the discernible core elements of our institution’s framework for action.” We were so excited to start thinking about how to further advance this objective, through various lines of actions, in subsequent cycles of activity; yet, we wondered how can and does our marriage align to and serve the Divine Plan?